Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - I'm the Girl

Audiobook narration: 100000 gold stars! I read along with the audiobook and Lori Prince did an incredible job bringing this story to life with her narration.

"[I]t's more important to know who you are than who you think you're meant to be."

Holy heck, this book was powerful and heartbreaking and I want to punch things. This is a beautifully written uncomfortable read, please read the content warnings before picking this one up.

"Are you the girl? he asked. There could only be one answer. More powerful than disappearing was being found. More powerful was being found was being seen."

Beautifully written and effortlessly engaging, I'm The Girl is like a car accident that you can't look away from. Courtney Summers nails the teen voice and writes in a way that feels authentic. There's a raw vulnerability to this story of Georgia, a teenaged girl who desperately wants to grow up and make something of herself. Who never felt support from those around her. Who sees her beauty as a way out of poverty and a path to a better life. Whose desire and naivete draw Bad People to her and she doesn't realize that she's a victim. Georgia infuriates me and I wish that I could hold her close and tell her that she doesn't need to seek validation and that she's worthy of respect. But I remember all too well wanting to grow up, to be Seen by older men and thinking that made me special. The anger and frustration that I feel is as much for my younger self, and for all young girls who have been taken advantage of.

I can't exactly say that I enjoyed reading this book, but it is powerful, timely, and beautifully written. Courtney Summers handles the topic with care and with I'm The Girl she continues her focus on the young victims of society without sensationalizing.

Content Warnings: blackmail, child sex abuse, grooming, kidnapping, pedophilia, statutory rape
Representation: sapphic main character, poverty rep

eARC & ALC provided by the publisher via NetGalley and LibroFM for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion nor the contents of my review. Quotations are from an unfinished proof and subject to change upon final publication.

Content Warnings

edamamebean's review

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was really good but in a way that made me wish I hadn’t read it. Georgia is a queer teenager discovering for the first time how to wield her sexuality to get what she wants from men. The reader gets to look on in abject horror as Georgia walks right into the gaping mouth of a trap set just for her before she realizes the kind of power she has over men isn’t empowering at all. Massive trigger warnings, especially for sexual assault.

Content Warnings

goatsrsexy's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced

3.75

Wow. This was an incredibly dark book about a teenage girl who gets caught up in the idea of using her beauty to succeed in life, too naive to understand the danger she's surrounding herself with. She gets caught up with the owners of an exclusive resort for the elite who manipulate and take advantage of her. All the while she's also involved in the investigation of the rape and murder of an even younger girl who's body she discovers at the beginning of the book.

This book is full of triggers and it doesn't have a happy ending. It was honestly completely dreadful to read a lot of the time and the end has me reeling, but I actually really enjoyed it. It was very harsh but it also had a lot of truth to it and unlike a lot of books about this kind of thing, it didn't feel exploitative. I would definitely recommend looking up specific TWs before reading this but if you like dark dramas and crime thrillers you'll most likely enjoy this book.

Content Warnings